IT MAY have taken them until the last 10 minutes, but Newcastle Falcons all but cemented their quarter-final place in the Amlin Challenge Cup last night in south west France.

A late try from Tongan flanker Josh Afu and a touchline conversion from Jimmy Gopperth means that the Falcons are now within a stone’s throw of the quarter-finals, after this latest nail-biting win.

But a bruising and physical encounter at a freezing Stade Municipal had threatened to de-rail their goal of a home quarter-final, as they trailed with just seven minutes left on the clock.

Home coach Eric Bachu was apoplectic at the refereeing of Irishman John Lacey after the final whistle, but in truth the Albi boss’s frustrations should have been directed towards his own players.

Beaten 45-3 by the Falcons back in October at Kingston Park, his physical but limited outfit bludgeoned their way to parity at the break with a half-time scoreline of 6-6 as former Wellington team mates Jimmy Gopperth and Blair Stewart sent over a brace of penalties apiece.

A heavy and boggy surface contributed significantly to the stodgy early exchanges, with Samoan No 8 Filipo Levi and right wing Danny Williams among those contributing towards the forward momentum for Newcastle.

The inclusion of hooker Matt Thompson at tight head prop may well have raised some pre-match eyebrows as Carl Hayman lay in wait on the bench, but the 40-minute experiment appeared to pay dividends as Thompson held his end in the scrum and contributed well in the tight phases.

Naturally the introduction of Hayman after the break had a telling impact on proceedings as Newcastle dominated the forward exchanges for the remainder, but they were forced to battle back from the brink after Albi took a shock lead 10 minutes into the second half.

It was the imposing figure of second row Yogane Correa who finally broke the deadlock, the replacement flanker’s considerable frame being shunted over in the right corner for a five-point lead.

The kicking duel between Gopperth and Stewart continued as each contributed a further penalty, leaving the French hosts at five points to the good going into the remaining 12 minutes.

Having summoned the heavies in the form of replacements Adam Balding, James Hudson and Rob Vickerman, however, Newcastle enjoyed their share of forward momentum on the homeward stretch.

Balding almost made an immediate impact with a destructive run under the Albi posts and an offload to Tane Tu’ipulotu, but the Tongan could just now claw the pass in as the chance passed Newcastle by.

The stage was still set for a fairytale finish, and it looked as though the Falcons had provided just that when Afu found himself on the end of a flowing move, only to knock on at the crucial moment.

But the former Queensland Red could not have chosen a more emphatic manner in which to bounce back, as he stepped his way past the last defender just moments later to plant the ball down and draw the teams level.

His efforts left Gopperth with the chance to pinch victory via a touchline conversion, and the Kiwi made no mistake from out wide on the right as a vocal travelling support made its presence felt.

Even a barrage of late home pressure could not yield a winner for an Albi side seemingly welded to the basement of the French Top 14.

But in the context of the Falcons’ season as a whole, this win could well prove to be a decisive evening’s work.